Mantha spoke for the first time since fracturing his right ring finger in a fight with Tampa Bay’s Luke Witkowski last week.

Mantha did not initiate the fight with Witkowski, who went after him because the Wings forward instigated a fight with the Lightning’s Greg McKegg a week earlier.

Advertisement

“That first fight against McKegg, obviously I defended (Dylan) Larkin there,” Mantha said. “I thought it was kind of different. I do that when people get hit from behind. It was two vicious punches that I threw.

“It’s on myself, the fighting,” Mantha continued. “I don’t know what happened in my head at that moment. I did apologize to him in the penalty box and on the ice afterwards. The next game obviously, their coach didn’t like it, so I kind of knew someone was going to come. Then the second fight happened.”

Witkowski landed several punches in the short fight before taking Mantha to the ice.

“I knew it was going to come,” Mantha said. “I tried to stand up for myself. Obviously he was stronger. It was pretty hard for me to do anything there. The finger, it kind of sucks that it happened but if nothing happened there, I keep playing the game and we don’t really talk about it anymore.”

In his brief time in the NHL, Mantha has gotten into five fights.

“Obviously I don’t believe in fighting,” Mantha said. “I don’t know why I fought that much this year. It’s just things that happen and it happens quick. I didn’t really change my style of play, but maybe I just know I can stand up for myself and that’s what I do.”

Detroit has just 25 fighting majors this season.

The highest number of fighting majors Mantha has had in a regular season is three, and he did that twice while in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Mantha didn’t need surgery and said his finger is healing pretty good.

“The bone structure is pretty aligned so it’s just a few weeks to heal and then we’ll be good,” Mantha said.

Mantha finished with 17 goals, which was third on the team, and 19 assists in 60 games.

“I think it was an up and down season,” Mantha said. “When I got called up, I was on a high if I could say, just playing the hockey I had to play this year, and I think I played pretty good. Then I had a slowdown around those two games they had to scratch me, but that’s part of hockey.

“I just think to focus next year on coming back and not having slumps,” Mantha continued. “One game, two games, OK, but you can’t get to five or six games in a row. That‘s what I am looking to do.”

Chance to prove himself

Matt Lorito will get a chance to prove if he has a future in the NHL on Saturday.

“I know in the preseason he was really, really good offensively,” Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “He did a real good job on the power play, especially on the half-wall, on his forehand side, kind of walking down and finding seams. I think ultimately for him to be an effective player at this level he’ll have to be good on the power play. He’ll get a chance to play with good players (Saturday).

“I think like any guy coming up from the American League, they’ve got to show that they can do what they do there here,” Blashill continued. “He doesn’t have to be any different player, just be what he’s been down there.”

Lorito, who went undrafted out of Brown University, is tied for the Griffins’ points lead (54) with Ben Street, who’s also with the Wings, in 59 games. He has 21 goals.